climate

from page 10 activists together in Salt Lake City to celebrate and learn more about the future of conservative environmentalism and market-based environmental policy.

At the Summit, the Young Republican National Federation Chairman, Rick Loughery, signed The Climate Commitment on behalf of 5 million Young Republicans to showcase their support for ACC’s vision. We also had 7 members of Congress, multiple locally-elected leaders from across the country, industry professionals, and other thought leaders speak on their policies, work, and belief in the conservative environmental movement. Miss America, a Nuclear Engineering student, even joined in on the fun!

Montana’s own ACC Branch in Missoula was nominated for Branch of the Year. Their branch leaders have worked hard to bring the Missoula outdoors community together to learn about local issues like the revamping of Marshall Mountain. They’ve also organized cleanups and group hikes that allow people to build community while giving back to their environment.

Young Montanans also joined Citizens’ Climate Lobby who gathered in DC to lobby Congress about climate solutions. There were 895 participants - about 250 of whom were young people - of all political persuasions from all 50 states and they lobbied 436 members of Congress.

As Samantha Block, one of CCL’s incoming Climate Advocacy Fellows said, “Young people will bear the brunt of these disasters. Our future is at stake. Our voices must be heard.”

On Tuesday, June 13, volunteers from the Montana CCL chapters met with the four offices of our congressional delegation to urge them to support clean energy permitting reform, carbon border adjustments, and carbon pricing, a policy long supported by

CCL.

Climate disruption is not only affecting our ranches and farms but our kids and grandkids as well. If we ignore these changes, your kids’ experience in 4H, Future Farmers of America, and other organizations will look drastically different from your own.

Young people across Montana – who make up a quarter of the population– want commonsense environmental solutions to reduce emissions and protect the “last best place.”

Montana’s Congressional delegation should prioritize the issue and work with relevant stakeholders to ensure environmental and economic success for the state.

Investing in all of the above energy solutions –that don’t pick winners and losers – and our climate is also investing in Montana’s future generations, regardless of their creed.

It’s great to see young people like Rikki and the other youth plaintiffs standing up for their future, but this issue is so important it shouldn’t just be left up to the courts.

We appeal to all Montana lawmakers, pass legislation to unlock Montana’s full clean energy potential. This approach is good for your people and good for the planet.

Hattie Hobart is the Western Regional Director for the American Conservation Coalition, the largest youth right-of-center grassroots environmental organization in the country.

Alex Amonette volunteers with Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a nonpartisan organization whose volunteers cover the political spectrum, and which supports market-based climate solutions.

Letters

Fulfill obligations

Editor, Who does one contact when the Federal government has not fulfilled their obligation? Amongst all the distraction with student loan forgiveness this past year, the folks who actually qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness, have been left in the dust; a stampede of distraction and nothing happening. As someone who has served my country through AmeriCorps and has worked in the non-profit sector for over 10 years and made 200 payments on my student loans, I’ve fulfilled my servi- tude and yet I’m still in bondage. I’ve made lump sum payments and only owe a modest amount. Now, the rest of my loans should be forgiven; I submitted my paperwork 1.5 years ago, received acknowledgement of its acceptance and since then nothing. I have followed up diligently every three months, been bounced around from robot to robot, barely spoken to a human. If they ignore me long enough, they suppose I might give up in frustration. This is wrong. This is me filing a complaint in the only way I have been offered.